Wild Lions Live in Constant Fear

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Some lions in the wild now live within a “landscape of fear” as a
result of threats posed by humans.

Lions have drastically changed the way they behave and perceive
their environment because of new, numerous and deadly clashes
with humans, according to a new study, published in the
Journal of Applied Ecology,

“The ‘landscape of fear’ represents relative levels of predation
risk as peaks and valleys that reflect the level of fear of
predation an animal experiences in different parts of its
territory,” lead author Marion Valeix of the University of
Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, told Discovery
News.

She and colleagues Graham Hemson, Andrew Loveridge, Gus Mills and
David Macdonald explained that most prey animals live within a
fearful mindset which keeps them on a constant, stressed out
watch. Now even high-level predators may live this way too when
they exist in or around human-dominated landscapes.

The researchers studied the behavior, foraging and territory of
lions living in one of the last natural migratory systems, the
Makgadikgadi Pans National Park in Botswana, where abundant packs
of Burchell’s zebra and blue wildebeest live in different parts
of the park on a seasonal basis.

Lands used by people for grazing their livestock surround the
protected wilderness area. This creates a human-lion conflict,
since when the zebra and wildebeest move en masse out of lion
areas, many lions will resort to hunting livestock, such as
cattle, to avoid losing established territories and reproductive
loss, among other reasons.

GPS tracking of the lions determined that the major driver of
lion behavior was the risk of conflict with humans. While the
herders in Botswana do not always have easy access to firearms,
some do.

Hemson said “we extracted lead shot from one lion in the study
and another lion was shot in the spine and paralyzed. As such, we
have evidence that lions may survive encounters with better armed
people, and these surely make a lasting impression” on the other
lions.

He does not think lions are born with this fear, since cubs are
very inquisitive and would regularly follow his “vehicle and
circle it and even test the bumper with their teeth and paws.”
But through their mother and other pride members, they learn to
fear humans as they grow up.

While a handful of very large protected areas, such as in
Kalahari national parks, may permit lions to live without
encroaching on human, “these areas are getting fewer and fewer,”
Hemson said.

In Botswana, the researchers hope herders will reduce the
abundance of livestock left unattended at night, since these
attract lions that are looking for a meal but are also trying to
avoid humans. They also call for overall improved livestock
husbandry, which might include more consistent use of protective
enclosures.

The scientists, however, lament that during this present
difficult socio-economic time, such measures are not likely to be
implemented anytime soon. They hope an incentive structure might
be put into place for herders, providing them with financial and
other rewards to make the improvements and to promote tolerance
of lions and other wildlife.

Johan du Toit, head of the Wildland Resources Department at Utah
State University, wrote in a commentary, “The Makgadikgadi cattle
herders and lions exemplify the human-wildlife conflict that has
existed ever since livestock domestication began. Now, however,
with advanced weapons and poisons, expanding human and livestock
populations and reduced indigenous prey abundances, humans have
virtually eradicated large predators -- and big cats in
particular -- from the world’s rangelands.”

Du Toit, however, agrees that “there could be smarter ways of
mitigating the conflict.”

He points out that prey animals benefit from fear, using it to
avoid risks in parts of their territory. Now that we know wild
lions can experience similar near-continuous fear, he believes
“smart managers could make more use of it in mitigating
human-wildlife conflict.”